Housing for Some: Orange County is blocking access to affordable housing for service workers during an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in southwestern Orange County is $2,800. The median home price exceeds $575,000. For the service workers who keep Orange County's economy running, these prices are out of reach.
Orange County proudly promotes its "Housing for All" initiative, but actions speak louder than slogans. Right now, the county has the power to remove a single concrete barricade that blocks access to southern Lake County and to tens of thousands of more affordable housing options, but they won't.
In southeastern Lake County, rent for a two-bedroom apartment averages $500 less per month. The median home price is nearly $170,000 lower. The quality of life that is not attainable in Orange County for many individuals in the tourism industry is readily available on the other side of that concrete barricade, but instead, Orange County Commissioners, including District 1 County Commissioner Nicole Wilson, will yell "Housing for All" but let their actions show that it is only "Housing for Some."
Workers should not have to choose between cramming strangers in small apartments to be able to afford rent close to their jobs or commuting over an hour to and from work to be able to live more comfortably. No matter their choice, they are sacrificing quality of life.
Orange County has an agreement with developers to expand Flemings Road, which is currently connected to Sawgrass Bay Boulevard in Lake County, to a four-lane road and make the inter-county connection official. This agreement has a construction deadline of January 1, 2026. However, the county and developers are currently negotiating an amendment to that agreement to delay the construction of Flemings Road to November 30, 2026.
We are asking Orange County to open the road today, as-is. A recent survey shows that the road is capable of handling local traffic during the time it would take to complete construction to expand the road to four-lanes. But they won't, because doing so will cost developers and the county more money. While we understand the burden of increased costs, multi-million dollar developers are better suited to absorb these additional costs than workers in the hospitality, food service, retail, and caregiving industries that earn $15 per hour.
Orange County claims to champion "Housing for All," but those words ring hollow when the only thing blocking that promise is a ten-foot concrete barrier and some painted lines on an already-constructed road.
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